Google is working with broadcasters on new advertising formats for its video-sharing website subsidiary YouTube and will introduce them next year.

Patrick Walker, the European head of video partnerships at Google, said broadcasters were excited about the potential of video advertising and had asked to introduce 30-second "pre-roll" ads that appear before content is viewed on YouTube.

The revenue would be shared between the content producer and YouTube, Mr Walker told the MipTV conference in Cannes today.

"We don't want to rush in and throw in a bunch of ad formats that maximise revenue but destroy user experience," he said.

"We have an engagement model when it comes to advertising so we want to slowly introduce formats, test them and get user feedback.

"If you have been delivered ads that are relevant, interesting and geographically specific, that itself becomes interesting content," Mr Walker added.

"If you want a 30-second pre-roll ad you can wait.

"Right now we're about user experience and if you focus on that, the business will come."

He said Google's advertising business was focused on search and the text-based AdWords service.

But the company is using its Google Maps service and YouTube to experiment with new formats such as click-to-play video ads.

Mr Walker said Portuguese broadcaster RTP had been testing advertising formats on Google Video, and that Google has been running its own closed trials.

He added that 2008 would be the year that content providers saw "real money coming in" from video advertising and predicted that previously reticent producers would join in.

Mr Walker said the company was frequently approached by producers and broadcasters who were becoming more comfortable with YouTube as a distribution outlet, especially to reach new international audiences.

He cited recent deals with broadcasters Antena 3 in Spain, Deutsche Welle in Germany, and the BBC in the UK, all of which have branded promotional channels on YouTube.

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